Diving Into Love
by XSniderXD
Summary: Currently blanking on a summary. Just know that this is a story filled with one-shots between my most favored pairing, Zuma and Rocky! Because why not? (Rocky x Zuma) When a summary comes to mind, I'll write it down ;)
1. Bringing Out the Pain

Chapter 1: Bringing Out the Pain

Rocky stood in a field, alone, out of sight from any of the others. He wore a look that wasn't of a normal essence of the nature of himself. He looked depressed, upset and agitated. He stared at the rusted knife towards the left side of him, tears streaking down his grey fur. It took a mere few minute for him to decide what to do. He picked up the knife and held it up against his throat, ready to take his life.

 **-Some Hours Before-**

"Zuma!" Rocky shouted as he and the others ran besides the lab, as he was being rolled away into one of the emergency rooms, "don't worry, you're going to be okay." Zuma, barely able to keep his eyes open, smiled weakly at the mix, and slowly shook his head.

"...no, I'm...not...Wocky..." He said, his words hardly understandable to the mix, who stared at Zuma with dread-filled eyes. He felt the warm liquid dripping down his cheeks, "..but it will...be fine, Wocky.."

Rocky shook his head, "No, it's not going to fine...not without you." Tears streaked down his fur as Zuma kept his smile on, never leaving eye contact with the mix  
"...yes...it will," Zuma proclaimed, "because..we'll see each...other again."

Rocky stared at the pup, the tears unable to stop. They landed on the floor, and some sprinkled across the bed Zuma was lying in.

They approached a set of doors where the nurses pushing the bed told Rocky and the others to wait outside, until the operation was finished. Rocky denied, trying to force his way through, until Ryder had to drag him to the waiting room. Even in the room, Rocky wasn't himself, as he paced around in circles, muttering to himself, and worrying the others.

"What does he mean that 'it'll be fine?' How will it be fine without him?" Rocky whispered, keeping his pace. He made eye contact with no one, and his worry emerging ever more.

An hour or two before this incident, the pups were sent to do a mission to save a lonesome seal, which had gotten trapped in the river. The weather condition wasn't the greatest, as a matter of fact, it was horrendous. The wind was ferocious and the rain poured down in gallons, making it difficult to see anything at all!

When the team had arrived at the river, they could see nothing but blackness and the tiny particles of the tears of the sky falling past their faces. They heard nothing but the sounds of the crashing waves smacking against rocks and metal. It wasn't for a while until Rocky heard a faint squeal coming from some distance to their right.  
"Ryder! To the right! I can hear something!" Rocky shouted as loudly as he could.

"Thanks, Rocky!" the leader yelled back, before driving to the right, with all the other members of the team following behind.

Zuma, being the only one who could traverse in the water, apart from Ryder, rode in the middle of the river, not too fast as he didn't want to hit anything with much velocity. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck down, right in front of Zuma's vehicle, temporarily blinding the pup. He swerved quickly to his right, and hit a rock, where he, along with his hovercraft were flung forward, and landed on the muddy ground.

He hit the earth hard, and knew he was hurt, due to the great amount of pain in his upper chest. He saw the others rushing to his aid, and quickly stated, "I'm okay."  
"You sure?" Ryder asked, kneeling beside the pup.

"Yeah, let's just focus on finding that seal," Zuma replied, wanting to complete the mission.

Ryder was glad that his pup was thinking on the safety of others, "Okay, quickly, climb on!"

Zuma jumped aboard the leader's ATV, and they sped off, the seals yapps of help growing louder and louder.

The lab stared frantically at the water, desperately searching for any trace of the troubled seal, until he eventually saw it, trapped between two large rocks.

"Wyder, ovew thewe!" Zuma shouted, pointing towards the direction of the seal.

Before Ryder could stop his ATV, Zuma leaped off and ran to the edge of the water, prepping his gear.

"Zuma, wait!" Ryder began, but was too late, as the lab jumped into the river, and started towards the seal.

He swam quickly against the strong current, directly towards the stuck creature. When he was just about to reach his paw over to the seal, a wake drug him under, and pushed him a distance down the river. He soon collided with a rock, which was smooth, but pain still erupting on his side.

Zuma didn't need the light to know that he was bleeding, because when he coughed, a thick substance shot out of his throat. And from his experience with Marshall, he knew that that could only mean one thing: internal bleeding.

He became worried, but quickly snapped back to reality. He had a job to do, and a little blood wouldn't keep him was fulfilling it.

He climbed the top of the rock he had collided with, despite the pain, and jumped to the other side of the river. When he landed, pain shot through his left paw, causing him to whimper and fall down. He stood up, pushing the pain beside him and ran, going only so fast with his hurt leg, towards the seal again.

When he reached the destination, he tried reaching out, but was still too far away. He had only one option, so he dived back into the treacherous water, and headed for the creature. He stopped in front of it, and started pushing as hard as he could. It wouldn't budge, however, so Zuma dove underneath and pushed from there.

It seemed to have been easier, as the seal appeared to have popped out of the rocks.

Both pups resurfaced, and began swimming back to Ryder and the others. Since the seal pup wasn't badly injured, it swam farther and quicker, having no trouble with the reaching the shore. Zuma however, had a large issue. He was in pain, still coughing out blood, and was losing vision. He moved sluggishly, worrying Ryder and the others deeply.

"Zuma! Are you okay?" He shouted, already knowing the answer

Zuma barely heard the boy, but replied, "Y-yeah, I'm f-fine."

Ryder knew this false by the way his pup was speaking and his movement being abnormal. He knew something was wrong, so he ran to the edge of the river and was about to get in to swim to Zuma, when another wave came crashing down onto the pup.

It eventually smashed him into another, sharper rock. Zuma thought the first rock hurt, but this one pierced his flesh, causing even more bleeding and pain. The pain was too unbearable, Zuma could barely keep his eyes open, but he had to get out of the water. So, even though each small movement shot great amounts of pain, he slowly, but surely got onto the rock, losing consciousness shortly after.

He slowly opened his eyes to see his friends gathered around him. They were all in a box-like structure. He was lying on a bed, and by the bumps and movements, he guessed he was in an ambulance. He could still feel this pain. How horrible the pain felt, and he could do nothing to stop it.

The nurses came back out, startling Rocky and the others. They signaled for RYder to go to them, and judging by what they had said, it wasn't good news, for Ryder's face turned pale, and he shook his head. ROcky saw a few tear drops drip down his cheeks, ad the nurses hugged the boy.

When they departed, Ryder turned back towards the others, tears streaking down his face.

"What happened?" Skye asked, on the verge of tears herself

"Is Zuma okay?" Rubble sobbed.

"Please tell me he's okay," Marshall whimpered, giving Ryder a look.

Ryder slowly shook his head, "no, Zuma's...Zuma's g-g-gone..."

A chorus of sobs erupted in the room. The only one who remained silent due to shock, had been Rocky. He stood where he was settled, wide-eyed, breathing heavy, and his entire body trembling.

Until he lost control, screaming and cursing the world for letting Zuma pass. He cursed the seal and the weather for being the cause of Zuma's death, and even cursed Ryder for allowing the lab to go out into the river by himself.

But as quickly as the anger came, it subdued, and Rocky was brought to tears, He'd lost his friend, so-worker, and the love of his life in the matter of hours. His heart shattered, and at that moment, he realized that he had nothing to live for anymore.

 **-Back to Reality-**

Still holding the knife against his throat, Rocky whispered, "Here I come Zuma."

And just like that, he was gone.


	2. The Law of the World

"I'll help you get out of here," The light, grey-haired boy stated, pain shining in his tone, "I know the punishments at hand, but I will do anything to stop it." He stared at a darker skinned male behind several large, metal rods, vertically connected with the ceiling and the ground. There were hints of tears in both of the boy's eyes, and for a moment, there was nothing but a long-fulfilling silence, that neither of the two were used to.

The tanner of the two sniffled, his bottom lip quivering ever-so-slightly. In his own mind, he too understood the consequences at stake, and he grew fearful over them. With a dreadful sigh, he whispered through a trembling voice, as if he were in sub-zero temperature, "I want a wowld like none that we know of. A wowld with no pain, no suffering, whewe humans alike can live togethew." He looked into the grey-haired teen eyes, stating what had been on his mind for the longest of times, "I want to live in a wowld whewe I can be with you, without the judgements and cwuelties of others. Whewe we can both live in peace." He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, "I just want to be with you...but, it can't be...it's against the law, and now I'm stuck in hewe, awaiting for my punishment."

"Death shouldn't be your punishment. There should be no punishment in the first place!" Rocky stated, loudly so to gain the attention of the guard waiting near the entrance, They turned their heads as if intrigued by the sudden shrill of the voice, but swiftly turned away again. The boy lowered his voice, "This is foolish. Why are you getting the penalty and not I?"

"Because I told them it was only me. I _was_ alone when they found me anyway," Zuma stated, gazing longingly into the enchanting, green iris's of the boy in front of him.

"You shouldn't have been alone in the first place, Zuma," Rocky complained, "I should have been there with you; I should be right there with you."

"We both awe hewe."

"That's not what I mean and you know it. I should be _in_ there, with you, succumbed to the same fate of this damned punishment!"

"Wocky, it's the law," the tanned boy stated, "And I broke it."

"It's a damn foolish law, bullarchy. That's what it is," Rocky said, his voice unknowingly raising once more. He lowered it again, "It was foolish of you to even have admitted to this. _And_ , not telling them about me as well. I don't want to watch you _die_ because I wasn't there in time to protect you."

Zuma stood up and walked over to the bars. He placed his hands on his hips, so not to draw any suspicions towards himself or Rocky. "I love you," he whispered, lowering his heads, "people do stupid things when they'we in love, including me." He closed his eyes, "I didn't want to put you in the same fate. I want to pwotect you."

A tear slowly drifted down the paler-skinned boy's cheek, landing on the solid, concrete ground below him. And before he knew it, more and more tears developed in the corner of his eyes, and he had no control over it. He placed his hands to cover his face, and wept into them. Through his sobs, he whimpered, "I-I don't want to watch you get killed...I don't want to stand by and watch this happen before me, Zuma." His tears leaked through the cracks between his fingers, and rolled down his arm.

Seeing this, Zuma desperately wanted to embrace the boy, however, with the current situation with the bars, that was due impossible. His bottom lip quivered at the thought that he was unable to comfort the teen, bringing tears to his eyes as well. He wanted to apologize, yet no words would come out of his mouth, as if he were suddenly cursed with a silent tongue. He watched the boy before him, erupt into a wave of emotion, which tore his heart into two, because he could do nothing.

"I...love you too," Rocky said through his sobs. "I love you too..." He rubbed his eyes, expelling any further tears that failed to drop like the rain on aa thunderous evening. He lowered his arms to his sides, and placed the tip of his forehead onto the metal bars, despite what the guards might do. Seeing this, Zuma followed suit, and set his head on the same bar. For a moment, it was silent, until footsteps were heard, drawing nearer. Rocky looked to the his right, and saw a woman walking towards him. He didn't lift his head from the bars. Turning back to Zuma, he said in a low whisper, "I'll find a way to save you. I won't let them take you away from me."

He stepped back just as the female guard got to him. "Time's up," she said a grimly fashion, as she swiftly turned on her heel, "Follow me." She started walking before Rocky could even respond.

The looked over to the imprisoned teen, who hadn't moved his position from the bar, and nodded. Before following the woman, he heard Zuma whisper the word, "Okay..."


	3. The Monster in the Closet

Huddled warmly underneath some dark blue comforters, curled up into a tight ball, and shivering with freight, the thought of an inevitable death bounced in the small pups mind. This irrational fear only arose whenever he had heard the low creaking noise, erupting from the closet door, as well as a soft laugh coming from within. After hearing the chuckle a second time, he yelped for his mother, who was just across the hall from his own room. He shortly heard the small thumps of her footsteps, and shortly after, the door sprung open, revealing the tired elder.

"What is it?" She demanded, rather roughly. Realizing this tone, she quickly calmed down with a sigh. She stared down at the bundled lump on the bed, shivering despite the warmth. Walking closer to the bed, she could hear the pup almost silent whimpers, "Zuma, I'm sorry. What's the matter dear?"

The lump spoke like a broken record, "T-the monster in t-the c-closet. I-I he-awd it again."

The tired mother slowly and steadily pulled the sheet down, revealing the brown-furred pup all curled up, his fur soaked in his own tears. Seeing this broke her heart, and doing what she knew best, she brushed away her son's tears with her paw and kissed his forehead, which caused him to settle down some. Afterward, she looked Zuma in the eyes, showing as much caring and lovingness that a mother should show, "Zuma, I told you, there is nothing in the closet."

Zuma shook his head, and asked, "c-could you go c-check, p-p-please?"

His mother sighed, getting up from the edge of the bed. She walked towards the closet, "Sure, let's take a glance." She reached her paw out towards the doorknob, and slowly turning it, she creaked it open until the they could be opened no further. Inside there was...nothing.

"See? There's nothing here," reassured the woman as she walked into the small opening to show Zuma that he was safe. "Now please, try not to call me, unless you are _certain_ it's an emergency. Please, could you do that for me Zuma?" She sighed, "Also, I have to work early tomorrow, so I'd rather not be tired in the morning, and you have to go through training with the other pups."

Zuma nodded his head at this, as his mother tucked him back into his bed. She gave one last kiss before walking out of the room, closing Zuma's door behind her. The lab didn't want to disobey his mother, so he tried getting some sleep. It'd only been a few short minutes before he drifted into a deep slumber, however, he was awoken to the same familiar sound of the creaking door.

He kept in the back of his mind that it was nothing, and tried going back to sleep, but when he realized it was no use, he sat upright. Glancing over at the closet, he saw a small opening, and a single claw poking out. Seeing this, he quickly hid back under his blankets, his body shaking uncontrollably, while his tears began forming. Silence rolled by, feeling like an eternity, until the door creaked again, mixed with a grimacing voice, calling his name.

"Zzuuummmmaaaaa," echoed the voice, causing Zuma to shed his tears. "Commme heeere, Zuummaaa," it continued, frightening the pup ever the more.

Creaking, the voice, some more creaking, the same voice. It was a rhythm to which Zuma eventually could handle no longer. Driven by fear and frustration, he decided to climb down from his bed and cautiously walk towards his closet, trying his best to ignore the large claw protruding from the darkness within. Slowly reaching his shaking paw to grab the knob, only to stop a few feet short after meeting an image from the interior of the closet.

Two beady red eyes, peering at him, and a large grimace formed beneath, covered in what resembled blood, which dripped onto the floor. Zuma immediately jumped backwards, cowering in fear.

As if finding amusements in this act, it chuckled, then without a warning, it burst out of the closet directly the lab. The two rolled along the carpeted floor, eventually coming to a complete stop. Zuma was lying on the floor while the creature hovered just above him. His face was shrouded in the darkness, so Zuma couldn't make out any details besides the eyes and smile of ecstasy. He closed his own eyes, not wanting to see the sight before him. He knew what would happen next. This creature would tear him to shreds, and he didn't want to watch any of it.

When nothing happened, however, and when Zuma felt not a tinge of pain, he cracked his eyes open. As if on cue, the shadow of a pup leaned forwards, towards Zuma's face, causing the pup to clamp his eyes shut again.

 _'This it it,"_ thought the lab, _"this is the end of me."_

. . .

"Hiya!" shouted a cheerful voice, causing Zuma to shoot his eyes open in complete confusion.

 _'Huh?'_

The creature's head became engulfed in light, and Zuma could make out what he looked like, which in all honestly, he didn't look bad at all. The creature's fur had a blue tint to it, with white on his paws and the tip of his tail. There was a dark spot over his left eye, making the pup's beauty shine. One of his ears was slumped over, while the other pointed straight out into the hair. His smile seemed somewhat friendlier than what it looked like before, when covered by the darkness.

"H-hi?" Zuma finally replied, confusion clearly showing through his speech.

The stranger bent down further and licked Zuma's cheek, then before moving back up again, he rubbed his nose against the lab's, causing him to blush deeply.

"I'm Rocky," he eventually said, looking down at the red-faced pup, "and I like youuuu," he cooed.

Zuma became speechless. How was he supposed to respond to something like this? Just a minute ago he was encompassed by fear over this pup, and now, he was simply confused. But he didn't need to say any words, as Rocky again, leaned forward to embrace the lab, who didn't struggle. Zuma hugged back, smiling.


	4. Right at Home

"Git 'n ther', ya mangy mutt!" shouted the scraggly bearded man, tossing the mixed-breed aimlessly into a cage, to which the pup yelped upon impact. The floor was wet, cold and uncomfortably bumpy.

The pup remained silent throughout the entire drive, his face buried into his paws. He lay in the corner of his cage, on the far side from the door in which he entered earlier. He silently wept to himself, thinking this would be the end of the line for him, because he knew it was.

He'd been sent to the pound once before, a few year earlier, which brought only memories of how horrid the treatment had been. He, along with all the other trapped animals were rarely given food and water, and most of them lived short lives due to malnutrition. They hadn't been checked by any specialists for any diseases or infections that could have been life threatening. He feared this. His most vivid memory had been the harsh way in which they were cleansed.

He would be forcefully yanked out from his cage, and immediately placed over a bucket of ice-cold water, where he would be painfully scrubbed down by a hard, bristle-brush - one usually used for cleaning the inside of sinks, or the exterior of grills = which had torn open his flesh. The hands continued their work, despite the blood-inducing wounds, and despite the moans of the hurting pup. They'd dump globs of shampoo amongst the pups fur, spreading it throughout the mix's body, giving him the burning sensation similar to if he had been thrown in a campfire. He was then shoved under the water, without a warning or any clues, causing him to suck in the soapy liquid. It burned the inside of his nose and throat, and tasted of chlorine mixed with shampoo and salt.

When the hands had been satisfied with their work, they yanked the mix up by the scruff on his neck. He wheezed and coughed, as water poured from his nose. He shortly after sneezed, and the hands hadn't liked this, not one bit. Grabbing ahold of a foreign object, unbeknownst to the mix at the time, they thumped it against the back of the pup's head, giving him a pounding headache.

He winced from the pain, and rapidly closed both of his eyes, while grabbing the back of his head with both paws. He hadn't held on long, as the hands lifted him up again, this time by his paws, and he was thrown back into the cage from where he shivered, and wept, receiving no sympathy from the hands; not a single pat on the head; no rubbing his tummy; he was rewarding with nothing. They simply left the pup to his suffering, as they disappeared in the darkness.

Despite this being years ago, he still despised those hands with such a passion. Even wishing that he'd bitten them clean off when he had the chance. At this moment, he knew exactly where he was going: straight back to those hands, and he was frightened. He didn't want to go back. He didn't want any more baths, especially ones dealing with those hands. He hated everything about the pound, how they always seem to mistreat their inhabitants.

The truck stopped harshly and suddenly, sending the small pup to fly against the wall of his cage, which almost tipped over on its side. He whimpered quietly, as the side door quickly jerked open, and in came the smoking, bearded man. He put his face up close to the case, causing the frightened pup to scurry to the opposite side, and puffed out a thick layer of fog, which landed directly on the pup, who coughed and choked upon breathing in the fumes. The man chuckled like a school boy before roughly picking up thee cage, swinging and jiggling it around as he walked nearer to the door of the small, yet easily noticeable dog pound.

"Got ya anotha' 'un," he said eerily, his gaze shifting to a big man, sitting at a counter to his right.

The entire room smelt of cigarette smoke a wine. The wine had clearly been produced by the fat man at the corner, who had a large bottle, almost drained clean, with a dark liquor. It wasn't a pleasant aroma, especially for dogs, and even those without the powerful sense of smell would scowl upon breathing in the air. But he wasn't worried about this; the noise, however, was a whole other story.

While most dogs could hear up to 60,000 Hz, the mix's had been abnormal in that he could hear up to 74,00 Hz. It could be useful at times, but in situations where there were extremely loud and abundant barks that echoed across a tiny room, it was painful. Even when he'd covered his ears with both paws, the noise still penetrated through, giving him a feeling as if his ears were about to fall off.

The whale of a man smirked, "Good. Throw in with that one," he pointed to a small cage across the room.

The man holding the cage, holding the pup, walked slowly, but still swung the cave as if he were slipping on a boat. When he finally managed to reach the other cage, he reached his hands towards the pup, grabbing him by the neck, and threw him into the new home. The mix landed with a thud. He didn't get up. He didn't open his eyes. He waited for the pain to subdue, and for his breathing to return back to normal.

"Awe y-you o-okay?" a soft voice gasped, coming from the other side of the cage.

It was definitely male voice, which in terms for the Mix, was an extremely good thing. He never really got along with any of the female pups that he met, mostly because none of them saw him as potential.

When the Mix regained some strength, he slowly lifted his head up, and opened his eyes. As soon as he laid eyes on the other pup, his jaw dropped, and he wilderness his eyes. What he saw was the most beautiful pup that he has ever seen in his life. He stared at a brown pup, with droopy ears, and Amber-brown eyes. And the way this pup talked sounded like a chorus of angels in his ears. With each second passing, his heart paced faster, and faster, until it felt like it would beat right out of his chest.

"Y-yeah, I'm o-okay," he said after a while of awkwardly staring.

The brown pup smiled, getting closer, "I'm Z-Zuma, and y-you awe?"

"Rocky," the Mix answered, returning the smile.

"Wo-Wocky," he perked up, "I like it!"

Rocky blushed, "T-thanks."

Without any warning, Zuma quickly ran up to Rocky, and gave him a hug, which deepened the shade of Rocky's cheeks to a brighter red. Rocky hesitated to hug back, but eventually got his paws up, and squeezed lightly.

 _'Maybe this won't be so bad after all,'_ Thought Rocky as he continued embracing Zuma.

He hadn't smiled as widely as he did while giving that hug.

And, he liked it.

* * *

 **To Atlas FF: Don't worry, I will be doing your suggestion :D As-a-matter-of-fact, it'll be the next chapter!**


	5. Chaos at Sea

_Chaos at Sea (Don't Look_ _Down)_

Slamming the door shut, the chocolate-skinned male rushed over to his companion, who was shivering in the corner of the room. Crouching beside him, the tanner of the two said, "They've left without us, Wocky. Thewe awe no more lifeboats."

"So we're gonna die here?" Rocky replied through a quivering voice. "We're gonna die here and it's my fault!"

"Stop it Wocky," commanded the other boy, who placed both of his hands on each of Rocky's shoulders, "we awen't going to die. Not yet at least."

A deafening thunder erupted outside, causing the two within to jump with fear. "Why did I ever agree to coming aboard this ship, Zuma?

"I'm sorry, Wock," Zuma apologised, "Had I known this would happen, I wouldn't have coaxed you into coming along." He embraced the teen, and in doing so, he could feel the rapid heartbeat of the boy before him. "Look," he whispered, "I know you'we scawed, I am too, but I won't let you pewish. We'll be okay."

"And how do you suppose that Zuma?" Rocky questioned, irritation in his tone. He stood up, breaking their embrace. He looked down at the male, now on his knees, looking up at him, "You said they left us! You said there are no more lifeboats!" He stumbled due to the rocking of the ship, but managed to maintain his balance, "So how will we be okay?"

As Zuma slowly got himself off the floor, he answered, "We have each other; that's all that matters."

"But we're going to die, so what use does that give us?"

Hiding the hurt in his eyes, Zuma said, "Support." He quickly changed the subject, and turned to look out the window, "We've gotta get off this ship."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"I know you won't like it," he started, turning back to face the paler boy," but we'we gonna have to jump."

Rocky felt chills run throughout his body. His heart nearly stopping at that moment, his legs have put beneath him, and he fell back on the ground. "You...know I can't do that Zum."

"Yes you can. I'll be wight beside you," Zuma reassured.

"I can hardly swim!" Rocky panted, "I'll only drag you under with me."

"Well I'm not leaving without you," stated the male.

"Don't be a fool, Zuma!" Rocky shouted through his terror, "You don't need to die because of me!"

Zuma stood up, "No, I won't ever stop being a fool! I know I don't need to die, but I will if it means you'll be okay."

"Why? Why would you risk your life just to save my own?"

"Because...I cawe about you." He could hear the wave of emotion in the boys voice, "I thought that by bwinging you on this boat, we'd get closer."

"Z-Zuma..." Rocky began, feeling a small blush approach his face. A flash of lightning lit up the room, and a crash from outside could be heard.

Zuma rushed over to the door, "We have to go... Now!"

Rocky quickly got to his feet, "What happened?"

"One of the beams caught fire and created a hole. Soon, we'll be engulfed in flames!"

"Even if we did jump, what makes you think we'll remain together afterward?" Rocky asked, walking closer to the door.

Zuma rushed about the room until he found a piece of rope. "We'll be tied together with this."

. . .

Standing at the edge of the boat, Zuma and stocky stared at the thrashing ocean before them.

"I can't do this," Rocky said, backing away slightly.

"Yes you can," states Zuma, taking the boys hand, "I won't let you go under."

It took a mere minute before Rocky nodded, and stepped back in place.

With the rope tied around their waists, and their hands interlocked, Zuma said, "We'll jump on three, okay?"

Rocky nodded, this beginning the countdown.

"Three"

Trying to steady his heartbeat, the paler teen slowed his breathing.

"Two"

He found this to be futile, however, as his heartbeat remained the same. He also could not keep his breathing steady. The rain and thunder around them only made his fears rise.

"One"

Closing his eyes, he jumped off, alongside Zuma, and fell into the cool water with a crisp splash.

. . .

 _For Atlas FF._

 _Part One of Teo._


End file.
